Ohlone College home page.  SYLLABUS FOR LIBRARY SCIENCE 101: STEPS TO  SUCCESSFUL RESEARCH

Course facts

Units: 1
Grading: credit/no credit; online tests 50% and annotated bibliography 50% of total points
Type of course: six weeks, online
Computer access requirements: students must have regular access to a computer with access to the Internet and browser software such as Internet Explorer.

Please contact librarians@ohlone.edu for further information about this course.

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Course description

This course introduces students to methods of library research. The course focuses on how to find and evaluate information from print and non-print resources. Students will develop an annotated bibliography on a topic of their choice. They will learn to explore reference sources to bring their topic into focus and to use online catalogs, periodical databases, and the Internet to find books, articles and Web sites on their topics. They will learn to evaluate these items according to their purpose, authority, content, accuracy, and currency.

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Course objectives

By the end of the course students will be able to:

  • Formulate a research topic.
  • Analyze information needs for a particular subject.
  • Initiate a search for appropriate materials in both print and electronic forms.
  • Critically evaluate material for relevancy and quality in relation to a given research topic.
  • Cite material correctly.
  • Learn basic research strategies that can be applied in any research environment.

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Course requirements

Students will need to complete course requirements in an online environment and should begin the course with some computer literacy. They will also need to be self-motivated learners.

Textbook:
Quaratiello, Arlene R. The College Student's Research Companion. 4th ed. New York: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 2007.

The Ohlone Bookstore sells this textbook, and, you can buy it from amazon.com. You can also try to buy it used from sellers such as classbook.com or ecampus.com. (The ISBN number is 155570588X.) In addition, two copies of the textbook are on reserve at the Ohlone Library; call number: BK923.

All work for this course, including your annotated bibliography, must be your original work. Your annotated bibliography must consist of entries selected by you, and annotations must consist of your own ideas, written in your own words, and not copied from a review or any other source. Copying or paraphrasing the words or ideas of another without crediting that source is plagiarism and will result in a significant loss of points for the assignment and a likely "no credit" grade for the course. Since plagiarism is one of the topics covered in this class, it will be difficult for you to argue that you were not aware of this issue. Don't do it!

This course is delivered using WebCT course management software. Information about this process is available at the Ohlone College Distance Learning Web site.

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Weekly topics & reading assignments

Week One: Successful Research and the Library.

Introduction.
Overview of library and range of resources.
Introduction to the research process.
Reading: chapter 1, "Mastering Research Basics," p.1-16.
Week Two: Selecting and refining a topic.
Narrowing topic.
Finding subject areas and reference sources.
Selection criteria for evaluating sources.
Writing and annotating a citation.
Reading: chapter 5, "Exploring Reference Sources," p. 83-101; the PACAC method, p. 31, 54, 80, 100, 122, 149, and chapter 8, "Preparing a Flawless Bibliography," p. 153 - 155.
Week Three: Finding and selecting books.
Library of Congress Subject Headings.
Keywords.
Online catalog.
Finding books in the library.
Reading: chapter 3, "Locating Books," p. 33-55.
Week Four: Finding and selecting periodicals.
Boolean searching.
Narrowing and broadening a search.
Online periodical databases.
Applying selection criteria to periodicals.
Reading: chapter 2, "Decoding Database Searches," p. 17-32, and chapter 4, "Finding Periodicals," p. 57-81.
Week Five: Searching the Internet.
Web browsers.
Search engines.
Plagiarism.
Evaluation of Internet sources.
Reading: chapter 7, "Navigating the World Wide Web," p. 127-150.
Week Six: Writing the Bibliography.
Review of citations and annotation.
Final assignment due.

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Assignments

Each week includes the following assignments:

  1. Read online course material.
  2. Read textbook assignment.
  3. Complete online quiz based on reading assignments and use of library sources.
  4. Complete assigned work on research topic leading toward completion of the final project.
  5. Read and participate in the course's online discussions. Instructors will post important news and information in the course bulletin boards.

Please check the Course Calendar within WebCT (available from the course home page) for due dates for these assignments.

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Final project

The final project is an annotated bibliography due at the end of this course.

The bibliography must focus on a topic of your choice. You can select a topic related to research you are doing in another class or a topic that relates to a personal interest.

The bibliography will demonstrate your research skills: you should aim to find the best research on your topic. Any reader should be able to use your bibliography to become informed about your topic.

The bibliography is graded as follows:
There are a total of 200 possible points. 100 points are given for turning in a complete bibliography. Then up to 20 points are awarded for each of the five elements below:

  • There should be at least 10 total sources.
  • There should be at least two of each of the following: reference sources, books, articles, and Web sites.
  • Each source should be annotated. The annotation should use at least two of the five evaluation criteria discussed in week two: purpose, authority, content, accuracy, and currency.
  • The citations should be in correct MLA citation format.
  • The sources chosen should be, overall, appropriate to the topic: relevant, timely, and authoritative.

There is an example annotated bibliography in the course materials.

Please check the Course Calendar within WebCT (available from the course home page) for the due date for this project.

Remember that your annotated bibliography must consist of entries selected by you, and annotations must consist of your own ideas, written in your own words, and not copied from a review or any other source. Copying or paraphrasing the words or ideas of another without crediting that source is plagiarism and will result in a significant loss of points for the assignment and a likely "no credit" grade for the course.

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